If Kennedy Lived - Bryce Zabel's "Surrounded by Enemies"

What really would have happened next if John Kennedy survived the ambush at Dealey Plaza?

That’s the premise of my new novel, Surrounded by Enemies: What If Kennedy Survived Dallas?, that boldly reimagines a post-1963 political scenario focused on what we now know about the secrets of the Kennedy presidency. My intention is to shock readers without resorting to sci-fi gimmicks. Don't just take my word for it, though, here's a recommendation from a man whose work you've seen before:

"I have always had a deep love for classic what-if stories, but the best ones are often the alternate events that probably came within a millisecond of actually happening. That is precisely what Bryce Zabel has done here, painstakingly designing JFK's life post-1963. I have some experience with shattered timelines and altered realities, but this one kept me guessing every page."

— Damon Lindelof, writer/producer, Lost, World War Z,
Star Trek

Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, Surrounded by Enemies aims to deliver a supercharged but thoroughly plausible alternative narrative of the JFK era. After the charismatic president lives through a horrifying broad daylight assassination attempt, JFK and his attorney-general brother Bobby become the first conspiracy theorists, each determined to strike back at their enemies. t's not the first time I've been down the JFK road:

"Bryce Zabel and I went down the road of revising the Kennedy historical record together on the NBC series Dark Skies. This time instead of giving new meaning to the established JFK chronology, he's created a brand new one altogether. Surrounded by Enemies is an exhilarating ride, full of twists and turns that never were, but surely could have been."

— Melissa Rosenberg, writer/producer, Twilight films, Dexter

Meticulously researched, Surrounded by Enemies: What If Kennedy Survived Dallas? will be available in late July 2013 as a Publish Green eBook through Amazon, iBook, Nook and other sellers. Soon after, the book will be available as a Mill City Press trade paperback and an Audible.com audiobook narrated by Edd Hall (the Tonight Show). It is the first in a series of alternate history novels under the alt.Worlds imprint from Stellar Productions. Here's a snippet from the Foreword that comes from the dean of alternate history writing:

"Plausible development, building from what we know about what really did go on, and a whacking good story… Surrounded by Enemies delivers on both, big-time. So hold on to your hats, folks. You’re in for quite a ride."

— Harry Turtledove, author, How Few Remain, Guns of the South

It's about the political earthquake and Constitutional crisis that the Kennedy years could easily have turned into. After all, today's historians seem to have reached the conclusion that JFK was skating on thin ice, thanks to his personal indiscretions, always just a headline away from disaster. My co-author of the 2012 book, A.D. After Disclosure, Richard Dolan, wrote the Preface:

"Of all the what-if scenarios ever written about JFK, this is the one that rings true. It is an account that takes us deeper into the clandestine world that JFK himself tried, and ultimately failed, to gain control over during his life in our timeline. In the parallel history of Surrounded by Enemies, Kennedy’s struggle only intensified after Dallas, and the entire nation bore witness."

— Richard M. Dolan, author, UFOs and the National Security State

The 50th anniversary of John Kennedy's death is November 22, 2013. The book -- eBook, tradepaperback and audiobook -- will be rolling out in its various iterations soon.